. ♪ so no one told you life was gonna be this way ♪ >> it helped to create an environment of acceptance where more and more gays and lesbians came out of the closet. the six friends may have all been straight, but more and more americans have friends that are not. and that's what's changed dramatically over the past few years. consider this -- a new cnn poll shows 57% of americans say they have a family member or close friend who's gay. that's a huge jump from just a few years ago and almost double what it was 20 years ago. >> i pronounce you legally married. >> and as those numbers have changed, so has support for same-sex marriage. our cnn poll shows 53% of americans now say these marriages should be recognized as valid. that's up from 40% in 2007. you could call it the portman effect. >> i'm announcing today a change of heart on an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about that has to do with gay couples' opportunity to marry. >> last week ohio republican senator rob portman became the first sitting republican senator to publicly support same-sex marriage a change of heart he sa